Ground rules are policies and guidelines which a group establishes consciously to help individual members decide how to act. To be effective, ground rules must be clear, consistent, agreed-to, and followed. Team ground rules define a behavioral model which addresses how individuals treat each other, communicate, participate, cooperate, and support each other in joint activities.

A team should create and adopt written ground rules in the project planning stage. They should be added to and revised as and when required. Every project has a unique team and functional structure. Ground rules need to be defined considering project organization in detail. A few factors to be considered are:

– Team location: Location of the team is essential in defining ground rules. A combination of stationary and virtual teams would require additional ground rules.

– Team ethnicity: Consider the ethnicity of the team members and add few ground rules for effective team work.

– Project duration: Ground rules are important for any project irrespective of the length of the project. Consider the length of the project for defining urgency of implementation.

– Team skills and expertise: Team members should have a mix of skills and expertise in the domain to ensure the success of a project.

Project meeting

Be on time for all team meetings.

Team leader must create and disseminate agendas for each team meeting.

Team leader must create and disseminate minutes after each team meeting.

Attend full duration of all team meetings unless a case of emergency.

Avoid informal/social talk during team meetings.

Build in brief informal/social talk time before or after team meetings.

Be patient with alternative viewpoints, different kinds of learners, writers, & speakers.

No responsibilities to be assigned unless the person who is being assigned the responsibility accepts it. If a person to be given a responsibility is not at the meeting, the team leader must review that assignment or action item with the person before the responsibility is designated.

Set aside a regular weekly meeting time that’s kept open by all members from week to week. Keep the meeting schedule flexible, arranging meetings as needed and based on availability. Project decisions

Require consensus on all major team decisions. Avoid apathetic/passive decision making (e.g., “whatever you all think is right”).

Project delivery

Inform team leader if unable to complete work on time.

Seek reader/listener feedback before handing in all deliverables.

Set deadlines for each deliverable in advance of due date to allow for collaborative revisions.

Team attitude and culture

Rotate responsibilities so each person gets experience with several aspects regardless of quality or qualifications.

Ask for help from the team or other resources if “stuck” or falling behind.

Treat each other with respect.

Accept responsibility and accountability along with the authority given.

About the Author

Mahendra Gupta is a PMP and ISEB certified IT Consultant based in United Kingdom with more than 12+ years of experience in Business System Analysis and IT Project Management of wide range of projects within Banking and Trust Business sector.